One of the simplest methods of recording and communicating information is the traditional method of writing the information down on a piece of paper with a writing instrument such as a pen. Writing information by hand on a piece of paper is inexpensive and can be done quickly and easily with little preparation. The traditional method is also flexible in that a writer can generally write in any format anywhere on the page. One of the limitations with handwritten work is that it is not easily manipulated or transferred to other contexts. In other words, changing or transferring a piece of handwritten text typically requires rewriting the text on another medium.
With the widespread use of personal computers, textual information often is recorded using word processing software running on a personal computer. The advantage of such electronic methods of recording information is that the information can be easily stored and transferred to other remote computing devices and electronic media. Such electronically recorded text can also be easily corrected, modified, and manipulated in a variety of different ways.
Typical computer systems, especially computer systems using graphical user interface (GUI) systems such as Microsoft's WINDOWS operating system, are optimized for accepting user input from one or more discrete input devices. Common input devices include a keyboard for entering text and a pointing device, such as a mouse with one or more buttons, for controlling the user interface. The keyboard and mouse interface facilitates creation and modification of electronic documents including text, spreadsheets, database fields, drawings, and photos.
One of the limitations with conventional GUI systems is that a user must generally type the text they are entering into the personal computer using the keyboard. Entering text using a keyboard is generally slower and more cumbersome than handwriting. Although recent advances have been made in reducing the size of personal computers, they are still not as portable and easily accessible as traditional paper and pen. Furthermore, traditional pen and paper provide the user with considerable flexibility for editing a document, recording notes in the margin, and drawing figures and shapes. In some instances, a user may prefer to use a pen to edit a document rather than review the document on-screen because of the ability to make notes freely outside of the confines of the keyboard and mouse interface.
To address the shortcomings of traditional keyboard and mouse interfaces, there have been various attempts to create an electronic tablet that can record handwriting. Such electronic tablets typically comprise a screen and a handheld device that is similar to a pen (or “stylus”). A user can write with the handheld device on the screen of the electronic tablet in a similar manner to traditional pen and paper. The electronic tablet can “read” the strokes of the user's handwriting with the handheld device and recreate the handwriting in electronic form on the screen with “electronic ink.” This electronic tablet approach can be employed in a variety of ways including on a personal computer and on a handheld computing device.
Despite the advances in electronic tablets and electronic ink, several limitations still exist with the performance of such electronic handwriting devices. Typically, the placement of an insertion point (or cursor) on an electronic page dictates where electronic ink will be entered by the user. In other words, when a user writes in electronic ink on an electronic tablet, the electronic ink is inserted directly where the insertion point exists on the electronic page. In this way, the insertion point indicates to the user where electronic ink will be inserted on the electronic page once the user starts writing. Therefore, if the user wants to write on another part of the electronic page, the user must first move the insertion point to the spot on the electronic page where the user wants to insert the electronic ink, and then begin writing. Additionally, in the conventional art, as a user writes in electronic ink on an electronic page, the electronic ink remains on the page as electronic ink. If the user wants the electronic ink converted to traditional text (such as the text that appears on a traditional computer screen) at a later time, the user must manually select the electronic ink to be converted and then request that the electronic ink be converted to text. These manual steps are unnecessarily time consuming for the user to perform. Additionally, if a user hand writes a significant amount of information into the electronic document and then later converts the electronic ink to text, the user may find that some of the information could not be converted to text. This may occur if the user's handwriting becomes too illegible or erratic for the electronic tablet to decipher.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a system and method that will allow a user to write electronic ink anywhere on an electronic page without manually moving the insertion point. Additionally, there is a need in the art for a system and method for automatically recognizing electronic ink as handwriting and converting the electronic ink to text, without manual intervention. Finally, there is a need in the art for a system and method for automatically recognizing and converting electronic ink to text as it is entered by a user and upon the occurrence of a predefined event.